Fredebick shbewood kretsdstger



(No Model.)

P. S. KRETSINGER.

HOE.

No. 332,350. Patented Dec. 15, 1885.

Ilrvrrnn STATES PATENT @FFIUB FREDERICK SHERWVOOD KRETSINGER, OF FORTMADISON, IOVA.

HOE.

.SZP' CIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 332,350, datedDecember 15, 1885,

Serial No. 178,357. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK SHERWOOD KRETSINGER, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Fort Madison, Iowa, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Hoes, of which I do declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming partof this specification.

My present invention relates particularly to that class of hoes designedfor weeding and like purposes, which are provided upon one side with aseries of prongs and upon the other side with a cutting blade. In themanufacture of this class of hoes as at present commonly practiced it iscustomary to provide a central web or body portion of a single piece ofmetal, to which the handle-shank is welded, and from one side edge ofwhich the teeth are drawn, after the method adopted in the formation ofrakes or similar articles, while from the opposite side edge projectarms, to which, near their outer ends, is welded a steel plate thatconstitutes the blade of the hoe. This method of manufacture has beenfound objectionable in practice, for the reason, among others, that thewelding of the blade to the projecting arms is a difficult and costlyoperation. Even when the weld-joints are made with the greatest carethey are apt to be weak, and thus frequently become loosened and breakin the final operation of finishing the hoe. A further objectionincident to this method of manufacture is the difficulty in grinding andpolishing that face of the hoeblade to which the arms are Welded andabove the plane of which they necessarily project. A still furtherobjection is that in this old style of hoe it has been customary to formthe teeth of an even number. As a result, if attempt were made to rivetthe shank to the central web instead of welding it thereto, theperforations formed in the central web or body of the hoe to receive therivets would come in the space between the middle teeth, thus producingavery weak point in the body of the hoe, so that in use the strain atsuch point would be liable to break the thin metal. In the manufactureof hoes it has also been heretofore proposed to employ a single flatpiece of metal having its upper edge rounding or square-pointed orprovided with two prongs, and having its lower edge finished to form ablade, the handleshank being joined to the body slightly above itscenter. In this construction, however, the body being solid that is tosay, without any cut-away spacesthe hoe did not work as easily as wasdesirable, not having teeth or a sufficient number of them, nor did itserve as effectively to break up the soil.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improvedweeding-hoe, by which the above-mentioned objections will be fullyovercome; and to this end it consists, first, in forming a hoecomprising a body, blade, and teeth formed integrally, the body beingcut away above the blade and having the rivet holes for thehandle-socket directly beneath the base of one or more of the teeth.

My invention further consists in a hoe having its body, blade, and teethformed of a single piece of metal, the body being cutaway and providedwith a downwardly-extending central portion to afford strengtheningstock for the rivet-hole.

My invention also consists of a hoe having its body cut away above theblade, and having formed integral with its body a series of teeth orprongs of an uneven number, so that one of said teeth shall occupy thecentral position, and having a handle shank or socket riveted to saidbody near the base of the middle tooth of the series.

Figure l is a perspective view of a hoe embodying my invention. Fig. 2is a view in vertical section through this hoe and its at tachedhandle-socket. Figs. 3 and 4 are respeetively front views ofslightly-modified forms of my invention.

The body of my improved hoe is provided with the cut-away spaces A, Fig.1, above which extends the top bar, A, from which rise the teeth E. Fromthe bar A extends the central bar or portion, 13, and the side bars,C,,of the body, and in piece with these bars is formed the blade D. Byforming the cutaway spaces A in the body, not only is an easieroperation of the hoe secured, but it is also thereby caused to moreeffectively break up the soil.

The body, blade, and teeth of the hoe are made by preference of a singlesheet of steel, which, after being stamped into the desired to f. bywhich the handle-shank F is secured to form, will be ground and finishedin suitable manner.

It will be noted that in Fig. 1 the teeth of the hoe are formed anuneven number, so that the central tooth ofthe series projects abovethat part of thehoe-body oppositethe central bar or portion,B, and thatbeneath the base of this middle tooth and in the central bar orportion,B, are formed the perforations to receive the rivets the hoe.One of the series of teeth being in the central position shown permitsthe perforation for the rivet to be placed nearer the teeth or prongsthan could be safely done were the teeth of even number, so as to bringa space opposite the perforation. By this expedient not only is thehandle-shank secured nearer the teeth and in more effective position,but the metal is better distributed about the perforation next theteeth, so that the strain in use is not liable to break the body of thehoe. The centrally depending bar or portion B serves not only tostrengthen the body of the hoe and aid in breaking up the soil, but alsogives increase of stock to the body at the point of attachment of thehandleshank and affords a firm bearing for such shank.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 3 the central bar, B, isomitted and the teeth are formed of an even number; but in this case theperforations for the rivets of the handleshank are placed in ahorizontal line and at such distance apart that each perforation willcome beneath the base of a tooth. By this means I secure suffi cientstock about the perforations to enable the handle-shank to be firmlyattached to the body.

centrally-dependent portion B does not extend to the blade D, but onlysuch distance into the space A as to give sufficient stock about thelower rivet-hole, and to this extent attain one of the advantages of thecentral bar, B, above described.

Having thus described my invention,w.hat I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As a new article of manufacture, a hoe comprising a body, blade, andteeth formed integrally, the body being cut away above the blade, andhaving the rivet-holes for the han dlesocl et directly beneath the baseof one or more of the teeth, substantially as described.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a hoe having its body cut away abovethe blade, and having formed integral with its bodya series of teeth orprongs of an uneven number, so that one of said teeth shall occupythe.central position, and having a handle-shank riveted to said bodynear the base of the middle tooth of the series, substantially asdescribed.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a hoe having its body, blade, andteeth formed of a single piece of metal, the body being cut away andprovided with a central downwardlyrextending portion to affordstrengthening stock for the rivet-hole, substantially as described.

FREDERlOK SHERWOOD K R-EISINGER.

WVitnesses:

A. A. POTTER, G. M. HANOHETT.

